


Stars

by liberty_rose



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-30
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 01:56:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/947255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liberty_rose/pseuds/liberty_rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael falls for the boy who fell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Shooting stars aren’t all that uncommon in Austin, Texas. That being said, a falling star is a rare sight. Normally light will streak across the night sky in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace behind. But tonight, the light fell down from the heavens, blazing in a moment of glory before slamming into the ground with a tremendous crash. The impact sent tremors through the earth, rattling the windows of the nearby buildings.

Inside one of those buildings, Michael Jones sat on his couch playing video games. He threw his controller aside and rushed to the nearest window (looking back, it probably wasn’t the wisest choice). He put his hand to the glass, feeling the surface vibrate under his fingers. He only saw the light for a second before it faded, but in that brief time he made note of exactly where it was.   
He didn’t give himself time to think about his next decision. He pulled a baggy, black hoodie on over his wife beater, not even bothering to change out of his pajama pants. He stumbled out the door as he pulled on his tennis shoes and raced to his car.

His brain was going over the exact route he’d need to take to get to his desired destination. It only took about fifteen minutes, but Michael spent every stop light (there were three in total) drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in impatient agitation. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing; chasing a star, who even does that? But something deep in his gut was pulling him towards who knows what. 

When he pulled up to the place he had seen the star hit the ground, he turned off the engine. Michael tightened his hands on the steering wheel and took in a deep breath and flung open the door. He didn’t want to think about what he was doing because then he would start reevaluating the choice to leave home in his pajamas to find a fallen star. To be fair, it did sound like a pretty stupid thing to do. 

The ground beneath his sneakers crunched like gravel. Michael squinted down at the dirt, or what should have been dirt. The ground was covered in broken stone and pebbles like someone had reached into the earth, crushed up the rock beneath the soft dirt, and sprinkled it over the ground. Michael kept walking, the moon supplied some light but not nearly enough to see clearly. He dug around in his pocket, searching for his cell phone, only to realize that he had left it at home. 

Nice going, Jones. He chastised himself. You’re out at night all by yourself, no one knows you left or where you are, and you have no phone or money. Fucking Fantastic. Michael felt his foot drop into nothingness; he scrambled to regain his footing but failed. He slid down a steep incline for a moment before he hit the ground.

He clambered to his feet and brushed himself off as best he could without being able to see what he was doing. When he finally looked around to see where he had fallen he was shocked to see that he was in a perfectly hallowed out pit. In the center of the hole was a faintly glowing mass. His brain was warning him not to go closer since he was by himself and completely defenseless. But he ignored that logical part of his mind in favor of listening to the small section that kept pushing him forward, telling him this was a good idea.

Michael halted a foot away from the glowing shape, a bit unsure of what to do next. He took a step towards whatever it was, then another, repeating until he could kneel down and touch the shape. But on closer inspection, it wasn’t just a ‘shape’ at all, it was a man; a dimly illuminated man. He poked the man’s arm, the skin wasn’t as soft as he expected. By no means was it hard but it did not feel like his own skin. 

The man stirred and groaned, his fingers flexing as he tested his muscles. The light which emanated from him was almost completely gone, leaving behind an expanse of tanned skin. Once he got over the fact that there was man in the middle of a crater where a fallen star should be, he noticed something. The man was completely naked.

Michael averted his eyes, blood rushing to his face and tinting his cheeks a deep shade of red. “Hey.” He said, using his toe to nudge the man’s ribs. “Hey, wake up.”

Another groan made Michael look back down; the man opened his eyes and stared up at Michael. “Hello.” His accent was close to being English, though something was slightly off. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. “Where am I?”

"A- Austin." Michael stuttered, his eyes darting around trying to avoid looking at the naked person before him. 

"Which planet is that?" The man asked, pushing himself to his feet.

"Planet? It’s Earth, what other planet would it be?" Michael had to resist the urge to physically turn away from the exposed person.

"There are loads, but I like Earth, it’s pretty. I was too far away to really see it, but it looked nice from a distance." He smiled, showing perfectly white and straight teeth.

"Too far away? From Earth?" Michael’s face twisted into an incredulous mask. 

"Yeah, I was about, oh, what do you guys measure with? Oh! Light years. I was about nine light years away." When he thought, the man scrunched up his large nose and chewed the end of his tongue.

"Light years? Wait, how the fuck were you nine light years away?" Michael’s head was swimming with questions, most of them, though, he didn’t feel comfortable asking while the intended questionee was nude.

"It’s not that far, there are so many of us that are a lot farther away." The man said.

"Us?" Michael asked.

"Stars." The man tilted his head back and gazed up at the night sky.

The thought that had been nagging at the back of his mind pushed its way forward. Stars. This strange, naked person was claiming to be a star. Michael wanted to barrage him with questions, but when he opened his mouth all of the words stuck in his throat like cold honey. Once again, it was brought to his attention that this man was, indeed, nude. 

"Here." Michael pulled his hoodie over his head and held it out. "Put this on." 

The strange man took the article of clothing in hand and stared at it intently. His blue-green gaze moved back to Michael. It was clear that he had no idea what to do with the object in his hand.

Michael rolled his brown eyes and snatched the hoodie back. He tugged it over the man’s head and pulled it down, the bottom barely covering the essential bits.

"Put your arms through the holes." He instructed.

It took a moment to get it right, but eventually both of sleeves were occupied by arms. 

"Who are you?" Michael asked, now able to concentrate on something other than the exposed person before him now that he was covered (if only just).

"Gavin." He tugged at the hem of the hoodie, trying to get used to the feeling of fabric against his skin. 

"Gavin? You’re a star named Gavin?" Michael scoffed. 

"Technically, no. But Gavin just seems like it’d be easier on you." Another perfect smile, this time accompanied by a laugh. 

"You know what, whatever. Call yourself whatever the fuck you want. I really don’t care. I’m Michael." The cold night air was starting to seep into his skin, raising goosebumps on his flesh. "What am I supposed to do with you?" 

Michael really didn’t know how he felt about taking a (seemingly crazy) stranger home with him. Alright, that was a lie. He knew perfectly well that he didn’t want to do it. He wanted to get in his car and drive away, forgetting this whole thing ever happened. But he couldn’t just leave Gavin stranded here. Plus, the dick had one of his favorite hoodies now. Michael sighed heavily; he really had no other choice.

"Get in the car." He jabbed his thumb towards his car and then stomped off to get in himself. 

He could hear Gavin walking behind him so he didn’t turn around to bother checking. He slid into the drivers side, slamming the door shut. Another body slid into the passenger seat, big eyes staring at Michael.

"Put your seat belt on. This is not the night I want to get pulled over." Michael twisted the key in the ignition, the engine rumbling to life.

When Gavin made no move to fasten his safety belt Michael sighed and leaned over to do it for him. He didn’t like being this close to him; the proximity allowed him to take in Gavin’s scent. He never wanted to be close enough to another man to know what he smelled like in such detail.

But, at that moment, he could detect the intricacies of Gavin’s scent. He smelled like the air after it rained mixed with something warm, sweet and unfamiliar. Michael pulled away as quickly as possible, wrapping his fingers around the steering wheel until the knuckles turned white.

He sped down the roads towards his apartment, his brain racing at a hundred miles an hour. What exactly was he supposed to do with a star?


	2. Chapter 2

"Just wait here." Michael held out his hands in a placating gesture, much like you would do with a puppy.

Gavin nodded, his blue green eyes darting around. His unfamiliar surroundings were so distracting that he found it hard to hear what Michael was saying. With a sigh, Michael walked to his room in search of proper clothes for Gavin. He gathered a pair of boxers, a plain white t-shirt, and a pair of cotton pajama pants.   
When he returned Gavin was pulling games from the shelf beside the television, dropping them to the floor when he lost interest. “Dude! What the hell?” Michael exclaimed, darting forward to rescue his copy of Resident Evil 4 before it hit the ground. “You don’t just toss around another mans games.” He gathered the rest of the games from the ground and slid them back into place on their shelves. “Here. Put these on.” He shoved the bundle of clothes into Gavin’s arms. 

Gavin stared down at the wad of cloth, dropping most of it in favor of examining the pants. They were black and covered in tiny gold coins and little guys dressed in red. Michael sighed as he stooped to retrieve the fallen articles of clothing.

"That’s Mario." Michael explained. "Not that you’d even know who that is." He added upon seeing Gavin’s bewildered expression. "Just put them on." 

Michael guided Gavin to the bathroom, tossing the clothes in before closing the door. He took a moment together himself. He had never been a patient person and dealing with his knew guest was like dealing with a very large child. It obviously wasn’t Gavin’s fault that he knew so little, and Michael tried to keep that in mind, but it was frustrating all the same. 

He watched the clock tick over eight minutes before he knocked on the bathroom door. “Hey, are you alright in there?” he asked.

"Uhm…" The reply was muffled by the door but the distress in the single word was still clear.

Michael opened the door and burst out laughing. Gavin had his left arm through the head hole of the shirt, sticking straight up, and his right arm through its proper place, leaving his head inside the shirt. He had the pants on correctly, but the boxers were still lying on the floor. 

"I guess you’re free balling it." Michael laughed as he went over and tugged the shirt up. 

He twisted the fabric and pulled it back down, Gavin’s head popping out like a prairie dog.

He shoved his left arm through the hole and smiled triumphantly. “Do you have to put these on every day?” He asked, tugging at the hem of the t-shirt.

"Most people appreciate it when you’re clothed. Walking around naked doesn’t exactly go over well." Michael walked out of the bathroom and into the living room. 

He was about to fall onto the couch when a growling sound arose from behind him. He turned around slowly, brown eyes falling on the only other person in the apartment. Gavin’s eyes were wide as he stared down at his stomach. 

"I swear I have never made that noise before." Gavin placed a hand on his stomach hesitantly, as if it might bite him.

"Relax, you’re just hungry. You’ve seriously never been hungry?" Michael smirked and brushed past his house guest on his way to the kitchen. 

Gavin shook his head, still staring at his stomach as he trailed behind Michael. He prodded at the flesh like it was a sleeping animal, ready to spring back at the first sign of any real danger.

Michael opened the refrigerator and peered at its assorted contents. There was plenty of soda, but nothing really to eat. He opened the freezer. Bingo. He pulled out a frozen pizza and tossed it onto the counter with a thud. 

"I’m going to introduce you to someone very close to my heart. His name is Red Baron." Michael went about turning on the oven and sliding the pizza in. "You’ll have to deal with your stomach for a little while longer. But trust me, it’ll be worth it." 

Michael busied himself by getting two cans of soda out of the fridge and plonking it down on the kitchen table where Gavin had seated himself. Long, tan fingers wrapped around the can; shivers danced up tan arms as skin met cold aluminum.

"What is it?" Gavin asked as he scanned the red can.

"Big Red." Michael replied, cracking the tab of his soda with a hiss of escaping carbonation and taking a sip.

Gavin followed suit but when the fizzy liquid hit his throat he gagged and spat it out. He spluttered and coughed for a moment. 

"What? You don’t like it?" Michael chuckled, grabbing a paper towel and tossing it at the soda covered man. "Clean yourself up." 

Gavin wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “It tasted good.” He said, using the paper towel to mop of some of the spit out soda. “But it was all bubbly. It tickled my throat.”

Michael laughed but cut himself short when he really thought about the statement. What must it have been like the first time he tried soda? True, it was unlike anything else. Also true that Gavin had been exposed to near nothing that a normal person his age (however old he was) should have been.

"How old are you?" Michael asked, his gaze moving over the thin, leanly muscled body; he looked young.

"Technically? 2.5 million." Gavin mumbled, looking down at the can between his hands.

"2.5 what?" Michael demanded.

"Million. But here it’s like I’m twenty-five." He smiled another perfect smile.

"Wait a fucking second. 2.5 million years? Did you just say you were 2.5 millions years old?!” Michael’s soda clattered to the ground, spilling red liquid over the pale tiles. “God dammit!” he shouted.

He snatched a dish towel out of a drawer and crouched down. The white cloth quickly turned red as it soaked up the drink. He tossed the cloth into the sink, making a mental note to get out a mop later. 

"Well, I am a star. We tend to live for a long time. I’m not nearly as old as some of my mates. I’m actually really young.” Gavin had leapt to his feet when the can hit the floor but he had no clue how to help.

Michael glared at him but he didn’t have a logical explanation for why he was so upset. This entire situation was illogical, so why did the fact that the fallen star (who coincidentally looked like a twenty-five year old man) was over two million years old shock him?

He opened his mouth to speak again but just then the oven chimed, announcing that its contents were ready. He slid on an oven mitt and removed the pizza, placing it on the stove top. Gavin wandered over to his side, sniffing the air curiously. Michael took out a cutter and sliced the pizza. Steam was still rolling from the surface as he carefully slid a slice onto a plate and handed it to Gavin.

"Careful, dumb ass, it’s hot." Michael said as he followed Gavin to the kitchen table with his own plate. 

Both men waited for a minute, Gavin’s fingers drumming impatiently against the faux wood grain of the table all the while. When at last a sufficient amount of time had passed for the food to cool Michael took a large bite.

Gavin did the same and when the taste flooded over his tongue his eyes widened; a slow smile spread across his lips. “This is amazing!” he exclaimed around his food.

"This is pizza. And swallow your food before you speak; you’re not a toddler." Michael reprimanded.

Gavin gave him an apologetic look before swallowing his food. He wasted no time in downing the rest of the slice, washing it down with Big Red (this time prepared for the fizziness). His gaze moved longingly to the oven where the rest of the pizza still sat.

"Go on, you’re allowed to have more than one piece." Michael nodded towards the pan.

Gavin scampered to his feet to retrieve more food. When he came back his plate was full; he had at least six slices.

"For the first time you’ve ever eaten food you’re really going all out." Michael scoffed turning to look at the now empty pizza tray. "You took all of it?"

"You said I could have more than one." Gavin pouted as he stared down at his pizza.

"I didn’t mean you could have all of it." Michael took a piece from Gavin’s plate and dropped it onto his own.

Gavin stared at the pizza which had once been his for a moment before shrugging it off and digging into his own food. He finished in no time but when he was done he was a mess; his face was coated in pizza grease and tomato sauce.

"God damn, you really are like a little kid." Michael got to his feet and grabbed another paper towel.

Gavin took the offered towel and wiped his face, his brow furrowed. “I’m not a kid.”

"I didn’t say you were a kid, I said you’re like a kid.” Michael rolled his eyes and dropped into his seat.

He sighed, his mind weaving different thoughts simultaneously, creating intricately knotted webs that he couldn’t seem to navigate. Every time he found the end of one thought, it tangled with a new, even more complex, one. He had over come his first obstacles; clothes and dinner. Now if only he knew the sleeping habits of celestial beings.


	3. Chapter 3

"God dammit, Gavin!" The phrase, which had become a common occurrence that night, was repeated once more. 

"Michael! Michael, help!" Gavin squealed, almost falling off the couch in his efforts.

“Mi-coo! No, you killed me, I’m not going to help you.” Michael tossed his controller aside and crossed his arms tightly over his chest.  
It wasn’t long before Gavin’s character on the screen fell to its inevitable death and the words ‘game over’ flashed in red. Michael glanced at his phone, checking the time. The digital clock read 3:15 AM, he had to be at work in six hours. It was then that his eventful night caught up to him, slamming him with an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

He yawned and stretched his arms towards the ceiling with a groan. He was unaware of the rapt attention on him until Gavin spoke up.

"What was that?" Gavin asked, tilting his head.

"What? You mean the yawn? It’s just what we do when we’re tired." Michael explained.

"Do it again." Gavin demanded, leaning forward.

"I can’t just do it on command it just happens when it wa-wants to." As if to prove him wrong, another yawn interrupted his sentence.

Gavin squinted his eyes and peered into Michael’s open mouth, raising a hand to poke at the sharp canines. “Dude, what the hell!?” Michael exclaimed, slapping away the other man’s hand. “Another good rule to live by: don’t stick your hand in other people’s mouths.”

Gavin stared down at the hand that had been slapped, his lower lip pushed out in a pout. “That hurt.” He whined.

"It was supposed to." Michael smirked as he spoke. "I have to go to work in a few hours, so I need sleep. You can crash on the couch." He retrieved a pillow and blanket and tossed them over Gavin.

"Sleep? Now? But it’s night." Another tilt of his head announced that Gavin was, once again, confused.

"Yeah, night is when we sleep." The answer made Gavin roll his eyes.

"No. Stars have better things to be doing at night. In case you didn’t notice that’s when we’re most active. You know, shining and twinkling." Gavin shoved the blankets to the ground.

"Well then just sit there quietly, I have to sleep." Michael turned away to walk to his bedroom.

"No!" Gavin whined, clambering to his feet. "Don’t make me sit here by myself!" 

"I need to sleep! You may not have to do anything tomorrow but I have a job. Where I make money so I can stay in this apartment. I know that you don’t get that since you just dropped out of the god damn sky with no fucking responsibilities. I need to go to work!" The color rose to Michael’s face as he voice increased in volume.

Gavin shrank back, his eyes glazing over and his lip beginning to quiver. Tears rolled down his tan cheeks and he brought his hand to his face to brush them away, a look of worry twisting his features.

"I’m broken!" He cried out as he stared at the moisture on his fingers, panic over taking his face.

"No, you’re not." Michael took a step forward but had no clue what to do to help. "You’re crying. It’s just your body reacting to something. Sorry, I yelled at you." 

Gavin gave a watery smile. “It’s alright, Michael. You’re tired. I’ll just sit on the couch.” 

"You can play any of the games you want. I’ll be up in a few hours." Michael turned and walked into his bedroom, swinging the door closed behind him.

He crawled under the blankets and closed his eyes; he was asleep in a matter of moments.

. . .

For the first time in his life, Michael knew that he was dreaming. It wasn’t a lucid dream where he could alter the world to his whim, no. He was merely aware of the fact that the realm he stood in was not the one of his conscious mind. 

He scanned his surrounding to better aquatint himself of his situation, but there wasn’t much to look at. He stoop atop a solitary, grassy hill beneath an ink spill sky dotted with stars like grains of salt. He could see nothing but flat grass to the edge of the world where it met the horizon. 

"Michael." The voice startled him and his head whipped around trying to find where it came from. "Up here." The soft, echoey voice said.

Michael tilted his head back to stare up at the sky, the stars twinkling down at him.

"Please, Michael Jones. Watch over our brother, just as we have watched over your kind for thousands of years. Protect him, for he knows so little of your world." The voice was quiet, yet somehow it rang in his ears. 

He blinked at the stars, finally realizing who it was that was speaking to him; the stars. They wanted him to protect Gavin, to guard him from the cruelties that were all too common in the world. 

"Promise us, Michael Jones! Promise that you will guide him through the hard ships that he will surely face!" The urgency in the voice reverberated in his mind.

"I promise!" Michael shouted up at the sky without a moments hesitation.

He blinked once and everything was gone.

. . .

When Michael awoke in the morning, rays of sunlight were filtering between the window curtains, casting the dust motes in beams of light. He stared at the dancing specks for a moment before getting out of bed and stretching with a groan. He rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes as he walked to the bathroom.

He brushed his teeth slowly, limbs heavy with the sleepy cobwebs that still clung to his mind. As he changed out of his pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he slowly became more alert. 

When he stepped into the living room his eyes fell to the couch where a leg was hooked over the back. He rounded the piece of furniture to see Gavin sprawled out on the couch. He had the pillow clutched to his chest and the blanket was wrapped around his hips. 

Michael chuckled and switched off the television and Xbox which had been left on all night. He turned around as Gavin let out a sleepy hum and turned his head. Michael had to go into work but there was no point in waking up the man.

He scribbled a note and left it on the coffee table on top of a pile of clothes. If Gavin did wake up before he got home, at least he wouldn’t panic, or at least Michael hoped he wouldn’t.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know enough about the current receptionist to portray her accurately, so Kara gets her old job back!

By the time Gavin opened his eyes again it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. There was a split second of confused panic as he took in his surroundings, having forgotten where he was. He quickly relaxed when he realized that he was on Michael's couch in his apartment. 

He didn't take the time to think about how odd it was that this place, which he'd been in less than 24 hours, was so comforting. Instead of dwelling on it he got to his feet and stretched his arms towards the ceiling, the vertebrae in his back popping as he arched.

"Michael?" He called out sleepily, the name reverberating slightly within the walls of the empty apartment.

His eyes fell to the pile of fabric on the coffee table, or more importantly, the piece of folded paper atop it. He grabbed the note and unfolded it, scanning the scribbled lines.

Gavin,

I went to work so don't freak out, okay? I got out some clothes for you, so put those on. There's food in the fridge and you can play whatever you want. If there's some sort of emergency (and I mean something really bad) then my work is directly across the street. There's a big sign that says Roosterteeth. If you do walk over (once again, only if it's an emergency) then make sure you don't get hit by any cars.

-Michael

P.S. Don't break anything or burn down my apartment. 

P.P.S. Seriously, don't burn down my apartment.

Gavin read the note twice, running his fingers over the inked curves of the letters. He understood the English language but it still looked so odd on paper. There were so many loops and dips that sometimes he could hardly believe all of these symbols actually meant something. 

He gathered the mound of soft cloth from the table and took it to the bathroom, because that's where Michael had made him change, so he assumed that's where he was supposed to do it. Upon further examination of the clothing, he really couldn't understand why Michael had given him two of the same thing. One of them was like the thing he wore over his chest and shoulders, but the other was like what Michael had made him wear when he had found him. 

Shirts. Gavin reminded himself. They're called shirts. 

Shrugging, he put on both shirts, the long sleeved one fitting comfortably too big over the t-shirt. He pulled on the pants, but his big toe got stuck in a rip at the bottom of the right leg. When he tried to get the digit loose he lost his balance.

In an attempt to remain standing, he pinwheeled his arms. But he still pitched forward and hit the ground with the slap of palms on tile. His nose and forehead collided with the floor and, for a moment, lights flashed in front of his eyes.

A pitiful whine escaped Gavin's lips as he pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed at the sore spot on his forehead. A salty, metallic taste filled his mouth and he gagged. He clambered to his feet and the world momentarily spun around him in a smear of colors. When he saw himself in the mirror he gasped.

There was blood trickling from his nose and over his upper lip; that was what he had tasted. Gavin gagged once again and spat into the sink. He caught sight of a rag sitting on the edge of the sink, still damp from when someone, presumably Michael, had used it. He dabbed at the blood, wincing when he accidentally bumped his nose.

When at last he had cleaned all of the blood from his face, he tossed the now filthy washcloth into the basin of the sink. He bent down and unhooked his still ensnared toe from its denim trap. 

On his second step out of the bathroom door, the jeans slid down until they were low on his hips. He pulled them back up only to have them repeat their actions once he began walking again. That was when he noticed the button and zipper. It took him a while to tug the metal tab of the zipper up and even longer to figure out how to fit the button through its hole, but he was proud of himself when he finally managed to accomplish both tasks.

With a smile, Gavin padded across the apartment and towards the front door. A shiver ran up his spine when his feet went from tile to ice cold concrete as he stepped out the door. Michael had told him not to bother him unless there was an emergency, but he was bored, and to Gavin, that was an emergency. He was on Earth for crying out loud, he should never be bored!

It was surprisingly easy for him to find the building Michael had told him about. Sure enough, directly across the street was a large grey building with a sign proclaiming it to be Roosterteeth, what ever that was. He pushed through the glass double doors and trotted into the building, feet slapping lightly against the pale tiles. 

"Hi!" A cheery voice drew his attention from the various posters on the walls. "Can I help you?" The speaker was a petite woman with blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in barely there waves and big, warm brown eyes. 

It took Gavin a moment to process the need for a reply. "Michael?" He phrased the word in the form a question.

The woman raised a single eyebrow. "Are you a friend of his?" She asked, seemingly wary of his reasons for wishing to see Michael. Gavin nodded almost a little too enthusiastically. "Alright, one second." She rose from her chair and took the few steps needed to reach a nearby door. She pushed it open. "Michael? There's someone here who says he's a friend of yours."

She waited a moment and must have gotten a reply because the next moment she was stepping out of the way and Michael was walking out of the room. His face fell when his eyes found Gavin.

Gavin didn't really know what he had been expecting by way of a greeting, maybe a smile and a friendly 'hello'. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly was not the words that came out of Michael's mouth next.

"You better not have burned down my fucking apartment."


	5. Chapter 5

Gavin and Michael stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them speaking. It was Michael who broke the silence first.

"Well? What's the emergency?" He asked; Gavin didn't respond, merely looked down at his feet and wrung his hands. "Where the hell are your shoes?" Gavin looked up, confusion plaguing his features. "And is that blood!?"

Michael closed the distance between them. Gavin hadn't noticed it before, but drops of blood now marred the light grey material of the sweatshirt.

"You're lucky this is old and I'm not particularly attached to it. What the hell happened?" His words had lost their edge and were now tinged with genuine concern.

Gavin half-heartedly lifted his shoulders and let them drop. "I fell."

"On to what?" Michael lifted the hem of the sweatshirt and pulled the garment over Gavin's head. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kara giving them an odd look, but he didn't look any further into it.

"The floor. I hit my nose and there was blood." Gavin waved his hand in the air as if swatting away any further explanation. 

"Are you okay?" Michael asked, wadding up the hoodie in his hands. 

Gavin nodded and gave a smile. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Okay. So, what are you doing here?" Michael motioned for Gavin to follow him back into the room he had come out of.

"I was just bored. You left me all alone and it was so boring." Gavin said as he trailed behind Michael.

The small room held five desks, four of them cluttered and one of them completely empty, and a white couch. All but two of the desks were occupied, as was the couch. Michael dropped the sweatshirt onto a desk and sat down on one of the empty chairs, motioning for Gavin to sit in the vacant chair at the empty desk. Gavin plopped down in the chair, keeping his eyes focused on Michael.

There were four other guys in the room, besides Michael and himself. All of them had turned their attention from whatever they were doing and settled it on Gavin. The man fidgeted under their scrutiny. 

"So you walked here, with no shoes on, I might add, after I told you not to just because you're bored?" Michael's tone was one of disbelief, though he really shouldn't have been so surprised.

Gavin nodded his head but didn't say anything else, still uncomfortable with the weight of the gazes from the other occupants of the room. Michael hadn't noticed his co-workers interest until that moment so he figured it was time to give them some sort of explanation. 

"Guys, this is my friend, Gavin. He's visiting from England." Gavin's accent was close enough to being English that he didn't think anyone would question it. "Gavin, these are the assholes I work with." Even though his words could have been construed as insulting, the smile on Michael's face couldn't be mistaken for anything other than friendliness. 

Michael gestured to the four men, introducing each in turn. The man who sat on the couch was called Ryan. He had a warm, friendly face and kind eyes that made Gavin instantly like him. Next was Jack, who could have been intimidating, what with his broad shoulders and big beard, but his smile brightened his whole face and made him seem friendly. Next to Jack was Geoff, sleepy eyed and covered in colorful pictures but with a laugh that had Gavin laughing even though he didn't understand the joke. Lastly, sitting directly beside Michael, was Ray. Ray looked to be closest to Michael in age. He was rail thin and shorter than everyone else in the office but his big personality made up for what he lacked in stature. 

"So how do you guys know each other?" Jack asked.

"He found me when I--" Gavin began but Michael cut him off before he could reveal the ridiculous truth.

"When he got lost downtown. The idiot was just wandering around." Michael forced a laugh and cut Gavin a sideways glare which went unnoticed by everyone else.  
What didn't go unnoticed was the perplexed expression that creased Gavin's forehead. 

"So you just picked him up and took him home? I didn't know you were that desperate, Michael." Ray guffawed.

"Shut up, dumb ass." Michael shoved playfully at his friends shoulder. "He was like a toddler, what was I supposed to do, just leave him there?" That much was true, at least.

"As much as I have loved this little meet and greet, we have work to do. Gavin, you're more than welcome to stick around and hang out." Geoff smiled and spun his chair around to face his desk.

Jack did the same and Ray and Ryan turned their attention back to the screens in front of them. Michael twisted around to face his screen, but looked at Gavin. 

"Here." He reached into the backpack at his feet and pulled out a pink plastic brick. 

He lifted the top and the block split into connected halves to reveal two small screens and buttons. When he pressed one of the buttons, both screens flooded with light and color. With a few quick taps on the lower screen, Michael changed the picture several times. He handed over the device to Gavin.

"This is a DS. It's kind of like an Xbox except you play games on these little screens instead of the big TV. You can play Mario, I think you'll be able to figure that out." Michael kept his voice low; if the other guys heard too much of this conversation, they'd start to get suspicious of Gavin's lack of knowledge.

"Oh! You mean like the guy on the pants you gave me!" Gavin exclaimed, a proud smile curving his lips.

"He wears your pants?" Ray snickered without looking away from his screen.

Michael's cheeks and ears tinted pink and he glared at Ray for a brief moment before turning back to Gavin. "Yes, just like him. It will tell you the how to play as you go, so you should be okay."

Gavin pressed the buttons that the little screen told him to, and before long he was playing the game as it was meant to be played. He learned quickly, and even though he died often, he didn't seem to have too many problems. The game kept him occupied until it was time to call it a day.

"Hey, Michael." Geoff called as Michael slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Some of us are going out for drinks. Do you and Gavin want to come?" 

Michael cast a glance towards where Gavin sat, still captivated by the video game in his hand. The decision came down to how Gavin would handle it. It would probably put a dent in his fun if he had to babysit the whole time. Then again, he could use at least a little fun.

"Gavin, do you want to go out with my friends?" Michael asked, laying a hand on the other mans shoulder to get his attention.

Gavin looked up, the sound of his character dying once more droning quietly from the speakers. "Yeah! That sounds fun!" 

"Alright." Michael couldn't help the small smile the tugged at the corners of his mouth. "We'll meet you there in about an hour."

Geoff told him which bar they were going to and they said their temporary goodbyes. Michael led Gavin out of the office and back across the street to the apartment. He had less than an hour to explain what was going to happen tonight. Abandoning his backpack, he made his was into the living room.

"Okay." He began, pushing Gavin gently onto the couch. "We are going to a bar. There will be alcohol there. Alcohol isn't like soda. Yes, some of it is fizzy but it doesn't taste the same and it makes your head a little--" He fished around for the right word. "Cloudy."

"Cloudy?" Gavin repeated, confusion pinching his brow.

"If you drink a little it's kind of like things go fuzzy around the edges. If you drink a lot, things go really foggy. But you won't have to worry about that, you will not be drinking a lot, if you even drink at all."

Gavin nodded his head and jumped to his feet. "Are we going to go now?" He asked.

"Calm down." Michael laughed. "Next, I forgot to mention the thing about keeping you a secret. You can't tell anyone you're actually a fallen star. If anyone asks, you tell them what we told the guys today. You're visiting from England and we met when I found you lost downtown, okay?"

Gavin was slower to nod this time. "Why?"

"Because if you run around telling everyone that you're a star and I found you when you fell from the fucking sky, they'll cart you away in a straight jacket because even I have to admit it sounds crazy and I know the truth."

Gavin obviously didn't think it sounded crazy but he still nodded again, agreeing to keep his origins a secret. Michael seemed satisfied with the answer because he turned and disappeared into his bedroom momentarily. When he returned he was holding a small wad of white fabric and a pair of shoes.

"I think these will fit you, they've always been big on me. And remember: You can't go wandering around outside without shoes on." Michael sat them on the couch.

Gavin picked one of them up and examined it from every angle, running his fingers over the red designs etched into the black leather and the bumps on the rubber sole. He shoved his toes into the shoe and tried to force it on.

"You have to put socks on first. I don't want your foot sweat stinking up my shoes." Michael unrolled the socks and sat crossed legged on the floor. 

He took hold of Gavin's foot and pulled it into his lap. He paused mid-motion, caught in the realization that this felt normal. Helping a grown man with things he considered to be basic functions. In that moment, it didn't seem like a hassle to be helping. 

He shook his head slightly as if to rid himself of the revelation. He continued his work, pulling the socks over Gavin's feet and unlacing the shoes to allow the other man to cram his foot into them. He quickly re-laced them and smacked the toes of the left shoe.

"Good to go." He climbed to his feet.

Gavin hopped up as well and gave him a warm, bright smile. Michael smiled and shook his head. This was either going to be really fun or the absolute worst idea he'd ever had. Either way, there was no backing out now.


End file.
